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Three basic types or forms of soil water.

All these forms start as free water that is added to the soil by rain or snow. Their final
forms depend on the moisture conditions of the soil.

Each type is controlled by a different force and behaves differently in the soil.

1. Physical Classification

1. Gravitational water --- -1/3 bar

2. Capillary water --- -1/3 to -31 bars

3. Hygroscopic water --- -10,000 bars

4. Gravitational water: free water that moves through the soil due to the
force of gravity.

1. Gravitational water is found in the macropores. It moves rapidly


out of well drained soil and is not considered to be available to
plants.

2. It can cause upland plants to wilt and die because gravitational


water occupies air space, which is necessary to supply oxygen to
the roots.

3. Drains out of the soil in 2-3 days

5. Capillary water: Water in the micropores, the soil solution.

1. Most, but not all, of this water is available for plant growth

2. Capillary water is held in the soil.against the pull of gravity


Forces Acting on Capillary Water

micropores exert more force on water than do macropores


Capillary water is held by cohesion (attraction of water molecules
to each other) and adhesion (attraction of water molecule to the
soil particle).

The amount of water held is a function of the pore size (cross-


sectional diameter) and pore space (total volume of all pores)

This means that the tension (measured in bars) is increasing as the


soil dries out.

3. Hygroscopic water: This water forms very thin films around soil
particles and is not available to the plant. The water is held so tightly by
the soil that it can not be taken up by roots.

1. not held in the pores, but on the particle surface. This means clay
will contain much more of this type of water than sands because
of surface area differences.

2. Hygroscopic water is held very tightly, by forces of adhesion. this


water is not available to the plant.

3. Gravity is always acting to pull water down through the soil


profile. However, the force of gravity is counteracted by forces of
attraction between water molecules and soil particles and by the
attraction of water molecules to each other.

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